Selene practically dragged me towards a shabby little hut, almost unnoticeable. If I was telling you why you shouldn’t judge based on appearance, this was a good example. The inside of the little hut was gorgeous, to say the least. With dark ebony floors and polished rosewood furniture, it held a medieval feel to it. The walls were laden in matching ebony, making it very fresh. The hut appeared to be larger on the inside but small on the outside. It… puzzled me but I remembered, this is an alternate universe, of course it would be odd. I took another look around and found a small mini-fridge hidden away in the corner. Aether stalked toward it and swung the door open. He then began grabbing as many things as possible like a rabid animal. The fridge must have been stuffed with food because there was still a lot of food after. Aether cleared his throat, hands gripping a thick, black duffel bag.

“This is where I leave you,” he said sadly. “I need to do some research on Erebus, something isn’t right. I’ve had a wrong feeling ever since we met that guy at the Tower. There must be something we’re missing and I plan on finding out what it is. So, I guess you’ll have to manage without me.” Aether awkwardly squirmed in place before finally embracing Selene. She was surprised at first but she then returned the gesture. They embraced for around thirty seconds before Aether came to me. He looked like he didn’t know what to do but soon pulled me into his arms, too. “Sorry about flipping out on you earlier, kid. I’m just really stressed and decided to take it out on you.” I chuckled at his sincerity and pulled away, genuinely amused. Aether avoided my eyes, glancing at Selene. Oooh, I see now. A mischievous smirk replaced my smile, a glint in my eyes. I crept over to Selene and whispered in her ear, “He likes you~!” Selene’s face went from pale white to a peachy pink. She carefully walked over, went on tippy toes, and laid a soft peck on his cheek. Aether covered his face with his hands, not helping to cover the raging blush creeping onto his face.

“Bye, even though you are kind of a douche sometimes, I still love you. And be safe, you never know what’s out there.” Selene had this aura around her, it felt… loving. She seemed like she’d been wanting to say that for a while, maybe earlier when I saw them fighting. Aether looked like he’d snapped out of it and decided that he should get going, information is hard to find, he’s gonna have to ask around quite a bit.

It had been around an hour after Aether left and Selene was currently fixing something to eat. The smell of her amazing cooking wafted in the air, leaving me even hungrier. She snickered as she brought out two plates filled with mashed potatoes, veggies, and steak. Ah, of course, the ideal meal. I sat down and cut a piece of the steak and popped it into my mouth. I bit it and broth wrung out. I looked down at my plate, to Selene, and back. I scarfed down everything on my plate which I now regret, my stomach is killing me. Selene took our plates and began to wash them.

“Get some sleep, Callum. We’ll be searching for Chronos tomorrow,” she called out from the kitchen. I took her advice and walked around the hut. There was a small trap door beside the fridge and I went down. Yeah, yeah, I know what they say; curiosity killed the cat, but I want to find out as much about this place as I can. Around me were four doors, all identically dark wood.

Mahogany, to be precise.

I jumped and rolled my eyes as soon as I realized it was only Chronos speaking to me telepathically. I turned the knob of a door on the left and what I saw was startling. A room that looked exactly like mine at home. I ran over to my desk and ran my hand over it, same feeling. I looked under to see the little sticky note I had left on it a few months ago. I lifted my head up and backed away from it.

No need to be so frightened, young grasshopper, it’s only a room. I suppose it would seem eerie to you but there’s nothing to worry about. These types rooms are very common in the Oyx dimension. Even the poorer villages like this one have it. They are designed to take the form of whatever place you find most comfortable. In your case, your room.

I sighed and threw myself on the bed. Where are you, Chronos? Of course, I knew he could hear me.

I don’t know, Callum. It’s been a while since I’ve been here. And weaker than ever, it’s hard to navigate without Noah’s help. I don’t know exactly where we are, but I do know this; there’s a tower in the distance. I’ve forgotten what the name was, but I feel a connection to it.

I think I know where he is, near the Tower of Despair, that’s probably why he feels a connection to it, his body was there only a few hours ago.

You know I can hear what you’re thinking, like, everything, correct? Even though I couldn’t see him, he was most likely rolling his eyes. You’re right, you know, but that’s besides the point. Where I’m currently standing, there’s a village, a particularly small hut, and some people walking around.

I know where you are, I’ll look for you right now, don’t move!